Sergio Muscat is thirty-two. And he's one of the youngest photographers ever to gain a Fellowship from The Societies. These pages show why. Malta-based Sergio won plaudits from the panel for his stunning body of work - a four-year-long labour of love.

Photography is in the Muscat DNA. His father and brother are both photographers (they have all just collaborated in a unique 'Inheritance' Fine Art Exhibition on the island: one father; two brothers; three spirits.) and Sergio admits he has been 'playing with cameras' all his life.

He recalls on his website (www.sergiomuscat.com): "There came a day in my life, when I realised that I could express myself; communicate through a photograph. At that point, it wasn't photography any longer. It was art. It took a few years, and a lot of failed experiments to get to a point where technique took second stage.

But it is something which every artist should achieve. I learn new things every day, and will do so for the rest of my life."

Sergio admits he is an extremely sensitive individual. "I have been all my life," he tells Imagemaker. "And it hasn't always been an advantage. Some people view sensitivity as vulnerability. At first I tried to suppress this side of my character but as I grew up I decided to control it and use it. Now it's part of my life and it defines my work." He adds: "My work emanates from my inner feelings - rather than just the capture of images. When I look at architecture I see it as so much more than just the sum of the bricks and mortar."

And in the same way that a professional portrait and wedding photographer may research his sitters before heever picks up a camera, Sergio extensively researches the buildings he wants to shoot before he ever unzips his camera bag.

He states: "In architecture, as in art, there have been various influential movements over the centuries. And once you understand why certain structures have been created in the way they have, it becomes easier to interpret that particular building.